1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) and in particular it relates to a pipeline analog-to-digital converter (pipeline ADC) using an MDAC.
2. Description of the Related Art
The pipeline ADC has become a popular ADC architecture, which is used in a wide range of applications, including CCD imaging, ultrasonic medical imaging, digital receivers, base stations, digital video (for example, HDTV), xDSL, cable modems, fast Ethernet, and so on.
A traditional pipeline ADC, however, consumes considerable power in the operational amplifier(s). The problem becomes more evident in nanometer CMOS technologies since high-gain operational amplifiers designed with shrinking values of VDD and intrinsic transistor gain consume significant power.